The Contagious Diseases Acts : the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1864, '66, '68 (Ireland), '69, from a sanitary and economic point of view : being a paper read before the Medical Society of University College, London, on Thursday, November 30th, 1871 / by C.W. Shirley Deakin.

  • Deakin, Charles Washington Shirley.
Date:
1872
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Contagious Diseases Acts : the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1864, '66, '68 (Ireland), '69, from a sanitary and economic point of view : being a paper read before the Medical Society of University College, London, on Thursday, November 30th, 1871 / by C.W. Shirley Deakin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Paris; and this, though the latter is the city of pleasure for all Europe. In the French army iu 1860, the mean average of disease was 7*11 per cent, against more than 19 per cent, in the English army for the same year. But this does not show the wonderful immunity from disease of the Paris garrison, as follows— 1858 ... 3-42 per cent. 1860 ... 3-39 per cent. For the arrangements, so perfect in Paris, are such that its garrison is one of the lowest on the list. Nancy, at which there was an extraordinary epidemic of venereal one year (59 per cent.), is not included in this list (vide Vintras). Such is the evidence for the assertion that disease is increased in Paris. Though within the four years, 1866-69, there has been a rise in the proportion of the number of women diseased among the registered, this is due to their proportion to the number of males in Paris being less than formerly : as a consequence, each woman having connection more fre- quently is exposed to contagion oftener, and also the number of syphilis- bearing English and Americans visiting Paris has much increased of late years, and so the eradication of disease is prevented ; yet, in spite of these disturbing causes, venereal diseases are more than twice as common in London as in Paris. Dr. Vintras tells me that M. Lecour informed him that he anticipated this rise, as the examinations had been less stringent than formerly. During the war all prostitutes were expelled from Paris. The second allegation against the French system is that it has created a large class of clandestine prostitutes; and M. Lecour is quoted as the authority for stating that these insoumises number 30,000 in Paris Now, if you will look at page 119 of his book, you will find him stating that certain authors represent 50,000 and even 80,000 prostitutes as the number in London, whereas the fact is that 8,600 is the number really known to the police. Now, M. Lecour concludes that if only an eighth of the liondon prostitutes are known to the authorities, in like manner only an eighth of the Parisian common women are under police surveillance; and bb the registered women are 4,000, eight times this quantity is about 30,000, and so you get his estimation. The point I wish to insist on is this: that this large enumeration of Parisian prostitutes is based on the assumption that there are betiveen 50,000 and 80,000 of the same class in London, and that the class is equally common in both cities, perhaps rather the larger in London, which is double the size of the French capital. So much then for those who would try and persuade us that the pro- portion of prostitutes is greater in Paris than in London.